Far-flung country opens to US visitors with new flight amid overcrowding crisis: ‘The flock is coming’

Nuuk Nuuk, who’s there?

Americans – and lots of them.

The capital of Greenland, a cold Nordic hump nestled between Atlantic Canada and Iceland, is tipped to become the next travel hot spot as a new airport and hotels prepare to welcome travelers looking for an alternative to the stuffy European favorites that have deteriorated in tourism.

United Airlines has launched seasonal nonstop flights from Newark to the teenage water enclave on the west side of the autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, known for its arctic adventures.

“It’s the buzz before the flock comes,” Mads Mitchell, general manager of Nuuk’s 67-room Nordbo hotel, told the Wall Street Journal, adding that the property is already looking to expand.

And while it’s certainly good for business, Mitchell expressed concern about opening the gates to tourists, which will inevitably disrupt local life.

“So it’s finding this balance of showing love for Greenland and showing the amazing possibilities, but not doing too much too soon,” Mitchell said.

However, de facto ambassadors like Mitchell may not have a choice.

According to Jens Lauridsen, chief executive of Greenland Airports, the volume of airline seats that will fly to the setting of the 2020 Gerard Butler disaster film will almost double to a total of 105,000 by next year.

Additionally, a new $700 million investment will bring even more air capacity to the region.

Each inbound plane could generate $200,000 in revenue — something Lauridsen called a “very significant economic impact.”

“We look for new destinations, we look for destinations and hot destinations, most importantly, we can make money,” Andrew Nocella, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said on a recent earnings call.

Ask world travelers like Aria Varasteh, a 34-year-old founder of the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, he’s ready to dip his toes in the icy water.

“I want to taste something different,” he told the WSJ.

This enthusiasm for exploration has led to a massive anti-tourism backlash around the world in recent years, with cities and towns discussing taxes and other ways to curb growth.

Fortunately for Greenland, there seem to be some significant safeguards in place, for now – like Nuuk only having about 550 hotel rooms available. The tourist agency Visit Greenland is already predicting a shortage that will arise as early as 2027.

“Of course there are discussions about avoiding mass tourism. But for now, I think there is a natural limit in terms of receiving capacity,” said Air Greenland Group CEO Jacob Nitter Sørensen.